Rare-groove classic cars | Six of the Best

There’s always something to be said for doing things differently. It’s natural to want to stand out sometimes, to be different to the rest and not blend into the background. Especially when it comes to hulking performance cars: a huge part of the appeal is all the good-natured attention, so why not fully lean into the fact with something a bit… alternative? That’s exactly what we have here, a smorgasbord of classic cars from some recognisable manufacturers (and some less recognisable) that never sold in large numbers – even by exotica standards. Indeed, compared to some featured here, a De Tomaso Pantera is almost common, and certainly famous thanks to the Elvis association, Ford power and some wild race cars. But what a place to start: looks to die for, V8 brawn, impeccable condition and a backstory few can compete with. Who wants a Ferrari anyway?

With the name having been used for a very average 5 Series rival in recent years, not to mention a heavily evolved version of the BiTurbo in the ’90s, it’s easy to forget how glamorous the first Ghibli was. And that it was actually a wind, like all the classic Masers, here with its roots in Libyan Arabic. Back when nothing was quite so desirable as having a large engine up front, a gorgeous 2+2 body and acres of leather-lined luxury inside, the Ghibli couldn’t have nailed the criteria any better. Giugiaro designed it, there was more than 300hp under the bonnet, and nothing sounds quite so good as saying ‘Maserati Ghibli’. This stunning example is a UK-supplied SS, meaning the more powerful 4.9-litre V8 (instead of the 4.7), and incredible rarity: just nine such cars are said to exist. And probably none look quite so good as this one…  

If an old Maserati is simply too common as a classic transcontinental express, then boy-oh-boy do the classifieds have the car for you. This is a Monteverdi 375L, part of a group of models known as the Monteverdi ‘High Speed’ family. And who wouldn’t want a car from that clan? With its roots in Switzerland, the High Speed cars adhered to the time-honoured tradition of many a low-volume super GT: have the Italians design it, the Americans power it, and as many people as possible try to buy it. Like the Jensen Interceptor, this Monteverdi employed Chrysler V8 power, all the way up to 7.2 litres. This particular car has a Fissore body (some were done by Frua), and has been restored to show condition by the selling dealer (it’s his personal car, in fact) over nine years, having owned it for 15. So there really won’t be any finer than this fabulous-looking thing. And that 440 cubic inch monster is hooked up to a manual… 

Alright, enough with the front-engined cruisers already, time for a proper mid-engined exotic from the supercar b-side. Think of Lamborghinis and all manner of bedroom poster fodder comes to mind from the good old days: Miura, Countach, Diablo, maybe even Jalpa and Urraco for something left-field. But here’s one you may well have forgotten about: the Silhouette. Definitely not a raging bull-themed name, that one – but there was a 3.0-litre V8 in the middle, a manual gearbox, Bertone design and Lambo’s first targa roof, so it ticked a lot of boxes. Evolved from the Urraco and further developed to become the Jalpa, the Silhouette is nothing if not an interesting (and short-lived) chapter of Lamborghini’s past. This is one of just 12 right-hand drive ones ever made. There must have been that many Aventador special editions alone… 

Sometimes it can feel like only two extremes exist on the Cobra spectrum: there are the original cars that Carroll himself anointed with holy Shelby water (or so it can seem) and cost a million pounds, or the slightly iffy-looking replicas offering cheap and fast V8 thrills. But in fact there is a middle ground, and it’s arguably never looked better than this: a Superformance MkIII, the only Shelby-sanctioned one currently for sale in the UK. So it’s a perfect continuation of the 427, only with a modern Ford Coyote V8, a Tremec manual, brakes that work and proper insulation so you don’t broil inside. It’s still going to be raw and raucous like nothing else on the road, and look like nothing else – yet it’s going to start and stop like something built 1,300 miles and four years ago. Because it was. Easy to understand the appeal, then – especially at 911 Carrera money. 

Given it’s probably the most famous car brand in the world, it might be a surprise to find a Ferrari celebrated as unsung. Everybody knows what a Ferrari is, after all, and there are plenty clued up enough to identify dozens that have been made over the years. But this one is just a little bit different, and quite interesting. Because it’s a 2.0-litre, V8 Ferrari. Back when Italian tax laws changed to put double the VAT on larger engines, Ferrari shrunk the bore of the 308’s engine to get around the rules – and make the smallest production V8 that ever existed. After just a few hundred sales, the 208 GT4 was replaced by a 208 GTB. Never officially sold here, this GT4 has been in the UK for almost a decade and has been cared for by a brand specialist. One cost-effective way to get your classic V8 berlinetta fix…